Synonyms of illiterate

illiterate 1 of 2

adjective

(ˌ)i(l)-ˈli-t(ə-)rət 

1

as in ungrammatical

violating approved patterns of speaking and writing

most of the messages left on the Web site's bulletin board are illiterate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ungrammatical
• substandard
• nonstandard
• unidiomatic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• grammatical
• idiomatic

2

as in ignorant

lacking in education or the knowledge gained from books

offered menus with pictures, presumably for the many illiterate people who must eat there

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ignorant
• uneducated
• inexperienced
• unschooled
• dark
• untutored
• nonliterate
• unlettered
• untaught
• benighted
• unlearned
• simple
• uninstructed
• innocent
• rude
• unread
• naive
• semiliterate
• uncultured
• unknowledgeable
• analphabetic
• unsophisticated
• naïve
• stupid
• foolish
• artless
• unskilled
• dumb
• functionally illiterate
• idiotic
• innumerate
• uncultivated
• imbecile
• untrained
• lowbrow
• imbecilic
• green
• callow
• moronic
• witless
• brainless
• silly
• philistine
• idiotical
• senseless
• raw

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• literate
• educated
• intelligent
• knowledgeable
• brilliant
• smart
• expert
• lettered
• trained
• experienced
• schooled
• well-informed
• intellectual
• well-read
• scholarly
• erudite
• learned
• cultured
• sophisticated
• aware
• cultivated
• familiar
• acquainted
• polymathic
• highbrow
• polymath
• polyhistoric

illiterate

2 of 2

noun

as in ignoramus

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ignoramus
• know-nothing
• lowbrow
• philistine
• idiot
• imbecile
• ass
• moron
• numbskull
• donkey
• dolt
• anti-intellectual
• dunce
• fool
• jackass
• blockhead
• knucklehead
• pinhead
• numskull
• dope
• goon
• nitwit
• half-wit
• dummy
• fathead
• dumbbell
• hammerhead
• dodo

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• polymath
• intellect
• Renaissance man
• genius
• brain
• thinker
• wizard
• whiz
• wiz
• intellectual
• Renaissance woman
• blue
• highbrow
• polyhistor
• brainiac
• bluestocking

Synonym Chooser

How is the word illiterate distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of illiterate are ignorant, unlearned, unlettered, and untutored. While all these words mean "not having knowledge," illiterate applies to either an absolute or a relative inability to read and write.

much of the population is still illiterate

Where would ignorant be a reasonable alternative to illiterate?

While the synonyms ignorant and illiterate are close in meaning, ignorant may imply a general condition or it may apply to lack of knowledge or awareness of a particular thing.

an ignorant fool

ignorant of nuclear physics

When is unlearned a more appropriate choice than illiterate?

The synonyms unlearned and illiterate are sometimes interchangeable, but unlearned suggests ignorance of advanced subjects.

poetry not for academics but for the unlearned masses

When can unlettered be used instead of illiterate?

The meanings of unlettered and illiterate largely overlap; however, unlettered implies ignorance of the knowledge gained by reading.

an allusion meaningless to the unlettered

When might untutored be a better fit than illiterate?

In some situations, the words untutored and illiterate are roughly equivalent. However, untutored may imply lack of schooling in the arts and ways of civilization.

strange monuments built by an untutored people

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of illiterate

Adjective

Vuong has told a strikingly similar anecdote about his late mother, like Rose an illiterate mixed-race Vietnamese immigrant who worked in a nail salon. —Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 6 May 2025

An illiterate student just graduated from Hartford High. —Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 24 Mar. 2025

That was from a legal loophole with literacy and grandfather clauses involving illiterate white men. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2025

People with phones don’t always have internet access, and many are illiterate. —Sam Mednick, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2025